Hundreds of millions of people are staying at home, confined by tough measures imposed by governments to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Restrictions vary from country to country, but in some, with the exception of essential workers, people are being confined to their homes. Managing this is proving stressful and painful, particularly for people living in small spaces. Under the circumstances it’s worthwhile recalling the experience of one of the most famous prisoners in the world, the late statesman Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years imprisoned. Gavin Evans shares his insights into how Mandela managed to stay fit in his tiny house in Soweto before his arrest, and then over the decades in a tiny cell.

The race is on to create safe, efficacious treatments – or even a vaccine – that will guard against the novel coronavirus. Scientists around the world are working to develop the right therapies to tackle SARS-CoV-2. But, writes Jenniffer Mabuka-Maroa, too few African governments are pushing to get involved in clinical trials. This is a problem, given the continent’s rich genetic diversity.